Today’s a new day! I hope you wake up with a dream in your heart and a sense of excitement about a new day. A new adventure. May you never take a day for granted. May you embrace every breath. Take in every moment. May you always fill loved and never take it for granted. May your life be filled with laughter and tears. Both are healing. I pray when given a chance to be a difference maker, you grab hold and run with it. Never be afraid to shake things up a little. I pray you never give up when life gets hard. I pray when given a chance to quit, you make the choice to dance. I pray you never fear those raging waves in the distance. They will eventually calm and be filled with amazing lessons. Keep dancing during the storms of life. Who wants to look back and regret not taking a chance? A chance on love. A chance on friendship. A chance on making amazing memories. A chance on living a crazy beautiful adventure. I pray you keep on dreaming and dancing. Give your dreams more than a fleeting glance. Never lose your sense of wonder and adventure. Keep dancing. ~OC
Check On The Strong Friend
We all have that strong friend. The one who makes everyone laugh. That friend who is always there to listen. That friend that seems to have it all together. That friend we assume doesn’t need any help. Nothing fazes them. And because they are strong we tend not to check on them. They got this. But beneath all the laughs and wonderful advice they share, they are dealing with unimaginable pain. They are crying out inside, but they do not know how to share those feelings. Maybe they’re hiding behind a strong brave face. Forever being the strong friend.
The strong friend gets that title for a reason. They have survived the hardest storms. They have made those difficult times look easy. That strong friend has carried the weight of many. They are the ones that never complain. They are the ones always lifting others up. They have made the tough choices in life. They have stood tall during the toughest conditions.
We must check in on our strong friends. Everyone needs a helping hand. Our strong friends need to feel love and appreciated. They need to know someone cares. Even the strongest friend, no matter what they have endured cannot always carry the load.
So today, check on that strong friend. Check on your strong friend anyway. Do not allow them to face difficulties alone simply because you believe they can handle anything. They may need you to be the strong friend. ~OC
I Choose
Today’s a new day! Life is not for the faint of heart. To live, really live, requires courage. It takes courage to face the storms of life and overcome its challenges. We set goals and work to achieve them, some days we make progress and other days seem to stand still. We have to make the choice to keep moving forward.
Facing multiple incurable diseases is not for the faint of heart. But I keep making the choice to live my best life. I will never let the long list of incurable illnesses define me. I am a child of God’s. Made in His image. I will continue to make the choice to live with hope. I will keep making the choice to encourage others. I look forward to living this crazy beautiful journey with each of you, as we courageously live each and every day. Blessings. ~OC
Storms, Trials and Sorrows
Today’s a new day! I love that Jesus doesn’t simply say we will have storms, trials and sorrows and then leaves it to us to try and figure out. No, he promises peace and reminds us that he has overcome the world. Which means our hardships are not without purpose.
This is why the Apostle Paul who experienced much pain and difficulty during his life can boldly declare these beautiful words in Romans 8:28:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Rap Sheet
Hello friends. I have always tried to be open and honest about my health journey. I have never wanted or allowed my health to define who I am. I am a child of God’s. Wonderfully created in His image. A lot of people have reached out to me since my stroke to see what was going on with my health overall. So after praying about it, I have decided to share my medical rap sheet (HaHa). Once again, none of these conditions define who I am. I share this to encourage anyone walking through a storm to stay positive and use their story to encourage others. Please do me a favor. Do not fill my comment section with home remedies or ways to fight these conditions. I have a great medical team taking care of me. Thanks. Here we go….
- I am only the 28th person in the world to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s and Myasthenia Gravis at the same time. Yeah me!
*Covid Long Haulers.
*Still recovering from a stroke.
*Based on being so many medications over the years, the doctor shared my pancreas is fried. So I have been diagnosed with Diabetes. Currently taking insulin.
As you can see, I am in a real fight. But I am not walking this journey alone. God is walking right by my side. Holding me up when I cannot stand myself. I am blessed with a beautiful bride Laura West Shoemaker, who is an incredible caregiver. I have a wonderful circle of friends standing in the gap. I am blessed with a great medical team. I am thankful I have great insurance. I will continue to fight and share the story God has given me. I am far from giving up. I am excited about the wonderful plans God has for me. Living a blessed life. ~OC
World Stoke Day
Hello. Since today is World Stroke Day, I thought I would share a little of my experience since having a stroke a month ago. ~OC
*Still cannot remember the days of the week or the months of the year. Thank goodness for my cellphone.
*Still having memory issues.
*Still having difficulty putting words and sentences together.
*Still having weakness on left side and balance issues.
*Still cannot bend over without getting a tremendous headache and dizziness.
*Still very fatigued.
*Still takes me forever to text.
*What I can do:
*I am still breathing.
*I am still walking.
*I am still laughing.
*I am still trying to make a positive difference.
*I am still trying to encourage others.
- I am still making memories.
*I am still moving forward.
*I am still standing.
*I am still living.
The Boat
Today’s a new day! At one point during my beautiful life, my friendship list looked like a big cruise ship. Many people laughing and having fun. Life was great. Then I got sick and the boat began to get smaller. Of course that was rough to endure, but God gave me peace.
Then I experienced a beautiful miracle and all of the sudden the boat started getting bigger, but most of the relationships were not real. They were based on what God had done in my life. People cared more about the miracle than they did about me. Once again tough to endure, but God guided me through this storm. He even told me on a walk one early August morning, that my inner circle would get smaller. There would be fewer people on the boat. This did not scare me, it actually gave me peace.
Then I had a stroke a few weeks ago and more friends jumped off the boat. This time I was prepared for it. Less phone calls checking in or returning my calls or text. God had clearly prepared me for this time. That doesn’t mean there was not some pain and disappointment.
But as I continue to walk through this new crazy beautiful health journey, I cling to the friends who have decided to stay in the boat with me. The ones who actually reach out to me without any prompting and reassure me they are not leaving the boat regardless of how big the waves get. We will endure together. How blessed to have people in the boat who reassure me they are not abandoning me. Who tell me they don’t care how small the boat gets. No matter how rough the waves become. “Todd, I am not leaving the boat.” How encouraging those words are as Laura and I move through this new storm.
As I wrote the words above, I realized I have never needed rescuing from the boat. God has always been and always will be in the boat with me. He has never thought about abandoning me. I am thankful for those God chooses stay in the boat with me. But my hope and peace comes from God who created the boat and me. The One who can calm the raging seas with just a whisper.
If you are dealing with a storm in your life, look around and see who’s in your boat. When you find them cherish them. During the storms of life, learn to sit in the boat with others. Embrace those in the boat. Encourage those in the boat. Empower those in the boat. ~OC
Gratitude
Today’s a new day! It saddens me that America has become overrun with so much entitlement. We currently live in a country were we believe we deserve more, more and more. We are disappointed with everything that interferes with this poisonous belief. Some people are upset with their families, neighbors, churches and even the waitress at the local restaurant when they interfere with that person getting more. When the dust settles, some are even disappointed with God. How dare He not give us everything we want.
What craziness. If only we could see our situation clearly. Even for one moment. We deserved death. God gave us life. We deserved judgement. God gave us grace. We should be filled overwhelming gratitude. Nothing less. Because God owes us nothing. Just the opposite. We owe God everything. When we realize we deserve nothing, it puts a tough day in perspective, doesn’t it? ~OC
Power of Hope
When we wake up and are still facing the storms of life, we need to reach up to God and grab onto the hand of hope. The bigger the waves, the worries and troubles, the more the stage is set for God to move mightily in calming the waves. God cares about our storms.
One of the lessons God wants to teach us during the storms of life, is to fully trust in Him and not lose hope. Hope is a life changing word. No matter how many tears have filled the boat, how many prayers seemingly unanswered, or how fear grips us there is hope. We can cling into that hope during the worst storms. God will always be by our side as the crashing waves try to take us out. Plant your feet in the beautiful hope of God. ~OC
Healing Prayers
Good morning! As we pray for those that are sick, here are a few prayers I wanted to share with you. Remember, our words themselves have no power. But when we speak these words with the 🔥 of The Holy Spirit in us, beautiful healings occur.
Healing Prayer for Someone
Sweet Jesus, your Word speaks promises of healing and restoration and we thank you for the miracles you still perform today. This very moment we claim those powerful promises over …. We believe in the healing power of faith and prayer and ask you to begin your mighty work in the life of … Please reach down and surround …. with supernatural peace and strength and give …. the faith to believe that all things are possible for you. Protect … from the lies and discouragement from the enemy and let your miraculous healing begin. We pray …. would begin to walk in their amazing healing this very moment in Jesus name. Amen!
Healing Prayer Over Yourself
Loving Jesus, I pray that you will fill me with peace and comfort me during my suffering journey. Bless the hands that pray over me. May those hands be cleansed by the powerful Blood of Jesus. Allow those blessed hands to be used for the complete healing of every area of my body. Bless me with your confidence and the power of your sweet grace, that even when I am scared, I will lay everything at your feet. Let me surrender all I am to you. I pray all this in the powerful and beautiful name of Jesus. Amen.
I hope these prayers will encourage you, as you pray for others and yourself. ~OC
The Blessed Overcomer 